Is it ok to drink water in a gym changing room?

[EachToHerOwn]

Ok, don't shoot me down for asking about such a trivial matter - I know it's trivial, that's what Mumsnet is for!

My DD 4yrs and I were in the changing room after her swimming lesson today, and she was having a drink of water from a bottle. A gym member who had just entered the changing room, pointed to the 'No eating or drinking' sign;
Lady: Have you seen the sign?
Me: We're not eating.
Lady: No eating OR drinking.
Me: (incredulous 😲) It's only water.
Lady: I didn't put the sign up!
Me: Well, I think she's allowed a drink of water. 😧

At this point I left, but was completely gobsmacked by such an attitude!
I completely understand that they wouldn't want people drinking hot drinks, fizzy drinks and even juice but surely it is perfectly acceptable to drink water in a gym setting? Don't most people need a drink during and after their workouts or swimming, including in the changing room?

What would you have said to her?

I don't think that allowing a four year old a drink of water in a swimming pool changing room is in any way indicative of being "obsessed about getting dehydrated". Why would anyone object to a little girl avoiding the discomfort of thirst when we are so lucky to have clean water? Why would you want that? I don't accept that a person should be near death from dehydration before we allow them a sip of water.

No Penggwn, I disagree. I wouldn't get into a discussion with anyone about it at the time and I would happily ignore someone telling me my child shouldn't have a drink of water. Like I said, I don't believe that it was a member of staff or that a member fo staff would have bothered themselves with such a matter.

near death?
Lol. That was a sardonic remark in response to a pp's comment that we are obsessed with dehydration and the inference that we shouldn't be so because this isn't the Sahara.
No it isn't the Sahara but that doesn't mean I'm not going to let a child drink water to alleviate the discomfort of thirst.

Well, I think that is very rude. Follow your own rules in your own home, but a private gym can set its own rules. If you object to them the courteous thing to do is to raise it, not ignore people doing their jobs by remind you.

I think people are just pointing out that the need for immediate, second-by-second access to water is often overstated on MN. Being thirsty and being dehydrated aren't the same things. If your child can't wait ten minutes for a drink, you're not giving them enough water in general.

And I think that other people are pointing out that far too many individuals enjoy interfering in matters that are not only not their concern,, but are of no significance whatsoever, and that a mother letting letting her child take a drink of water is one of these "none of your business" scenarios.

"second by second access to water"
"If your child can't wait ten minutes for a drink you're not giving them enough water in general"
Really, where do people get off being so irksomely nosey and judgemental?

"You wouldn't be shrugging when the gym banned you for your refusal to follow their rules, DrKrogers. Like it or not, they would be within their rights to turn down your custom."

Shhh

"Like it or not, they would be within their rights to turn down your custom"

Well, no, they wouldn't. Regardless of the sign on the wall, letting a small child sip water in a changing room where people routinely drip water onto the floor from their bodies is absolutely not serious enough to justify a ban in any recognizable reality.

That's hilarious! but I'd complain about her attitude. Sounds like she told you off.

Of course drinking water in a changing room is fine

To be fair, I wonder what we would be saying if the question were reversed. If someone said they saw someone drinking in a changing room against the rules and they got their head bitten off in return.. I suspect most of us would say to report them to the gym staff. Tricky one.

Arf. Yes, they can say that, Pengggwn, but fgs, it's not remotely realistic that they will in a case like this. They're not going to ban someone simply for doing what the OP did, are they? Have you ever heard of someone getting banned from a gym for something so minor? It's simply not a plausible outcome when the infraction is so tiny, and the rule clearly so open to interpretation (as the reactions on this thread prove).

Never mind the likely social media backlash/reputational impact if any business were to take such a strangely draconian attitude in a situation involving a four-year-old.

I mean, I can see the point you're making, but it's like you're undertaking some sort of rhetorical exercise here. It's kind of fascinating ... but I should probably get on with my work

A swimming pool changing room is full of water anyway.
Don't eat a sandwich and a coffee but yes drink water. Person was being ridiculous:

I am not remotely nosey or judgemental. I don't care when you give your child water.

You might not be, but your post:
I think people are just pointing out that the need for immediate, second-by-second access to water is often overstated on MN. Being thirsty and being dehydrated aren't the same things. If your child can't wait ten minutes for a drink, you're not giving them enough water in general. is indicative of "people" being judgemental, and misguidedly pulling people up on rules that they're not actually flouting and have no bearing on the puller upper whatsoever is nosey.

and, as an aside, if a gym barred me from membership because of my drinking water, or encouraging my child do do so (obviously that isn't ever going to happen anywhere) then I might well shrug becasue I truly would not be interested in supporting a company that took such ridiculous and inappropriate action.
But we all know that no shrugging would be required becasue it simply wouldn't ever happen.

of course you were inplying it was realistic, otherwise what was the point of using it an example of a consequence?

Not only is it unrealistic but it's not even relevant to this OP because the person who challenged the OP wasn't a member of staff, just an interfering, small minded, awkward and argumentative busybody whose challenge served no benefit to anyone other than her own desire to be the aforementioned.

I don't think the gym would willingly lose ££ per month over such an incident but they could give her an official warning. It might be part of the conditions on their insurance to enforce the rule.